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unable to appear. How Peter hid with Simon the tanner and Paul with the woman who sold purple, because they did not have freedom of speech among the rich. But later all things became smooth for them. So now, do not be discouraged. For I too have heard about that fool Arsacius, whom the empress seated on the throne, when she afflicted the brothers and the virgins who did not want to have communion with him. And many of them on my account also died in prison. For that wolf in sheep's clothing, having the appearance of a bishop but being an adulterer—for just as a woman is called an adulteress who, while her husband is alive, is joined to another, so too is he an adulterer—not of the flesh, but of the spirit; for while I am alive he has seized my throne of the church. And these things I have sent to you from Cucusus, where the empress commanded us to be exiled. And many afflictions happened to us along the way, but we cared for none of them. But when we came into the land of the Cappadocians and into Tauro-Cilicia, choirs, choirs of fathers, of holy men, met us, and not only that but also multitudes of monks and virgins, pouring out the immortal springs of their tears. And they wept seeing us going into exile and said to one another: it were better for the sun to withdraw its rays than for the mouth of John to be silent. These things disturbed and afflicted me, because I saw everyone weeping for me. For all the other things, whatever happened to me, I took no thought. But the bishop of this city received us very warmly and showed much love to us, so that, if it were possible, he would have even yielded his own throne to us, had we not been observing the canon. I beseech and implore and touch your knees. Cast off the grief of your despondency and remember us before God. And be so kind as to write back to us.

By the same, to Cyriacus, bishop, who was also in exile

Come, let me drain the wound of your despondency and scatter your thoughts that gather this cloud. For what is it that grieves and distresses you? Is it that the storm is harsh and the shipwreck that has seized the churches is terrible? This I know too. But, if you wish, I will fashion for you an image of what is happening, so as to make the tragedy clearer for you. I see the sea being heaved up from the very abyss below, sailors floating dead upon the waters, others sunk beneath the waves, the planks of the ships broken apart, the sails torn, the masts shattered, the oars flown from the hands of the seamen; instead of at the rudders, they are sitting on the decks, clasping their hands around their knees and wailing at the helplessness of what is happening, lamenting, crying aloud, mourning; not sky, not sea is visible, but everywhere deep and lightless and gloomy darkness, not even allowing them to see those near them, and the great crashing of the waves and sea monsters from all sides attacking those who are sailing. But rather, for how long do we pursue what cannot be reached? For whatever image of the present evils you might seek, my speech withdraws, defeated. But nevertheless, though I know these things, I do not despair of a better hope, keeping in mind the Helmsman of this universe, who does not overcome the storm by skill, but by a nod dispels the tempest.

But if not from the beginning nor immediately, it is his custom not to put an end to terrible things at their start, but when they have grown and come toward their end and are despaired of by the majority, then he works wonders and does marvelous things, demonstrating his own

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μὴ δυνάμενοι φανῆναι. Πῶς ὁ Πέτρος παρὰ τῷ Σίμωνι τῷ βυρσεῖ κατεκρύπτετο καὶ ὁ Παῦλος παρὰ τῇ πορφυροπωλίσσῃ γυναικί, ὅτι οὐκ εἶχον παρὰ τοῖς πλουσίοις παρρησίαν. Ἀλλ' ὕστερον πάντα ὁμαλὰ ἐγένετο αὐτοῖς. Οὕτω καὶ νῦν μὴ ἀθυμήσῃς. Ἤκουσα γὰρ κἀγὼ περὶ τοῦ λήρου ἐκείνου τοῦ Ἀρσακίου, ὃν ἐκάθισεν ἡ βασίλισσα ἐν τῷ θρόνῳ, ὅτε ἔθλιψε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τὰς παρθένους μὴ θέλοντας αὐτῷ κοινωνῆσαι. Πολλοὶ δὲ αὐτῶν δι' ἐμὲ καὶ ἐν φυλακῇ ἀπέθανον. Ὁ γὰρ προβατόσχημος ἐκεῖνος λύκος, ὁ σχῆμα μὲν ἔχων ἐπισκόπου, μοιχὸς δὲ ὑπάρχων-ὡς γὰρ ἡ γυνὴ μοιχαλὶς χρηματίζει ἡ ζῶντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἑτέρῳ συναφθεῖσα οὕτω καὶ οὗτος μοιχός ἐστιν-οὐ σαρκός, ἀλλὰ πνεύματος· ζῶντος γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἥρπασέ μου τὸν θρόνον τῆς ἐκκλησίας. Καὶ ταῦτά σοι ἀπέστειλα ἀπὸ Κουκουσοῦ, ὅπου ἐκέλευσεν ἡμᾶς ἡ βασίλισσα ἐξορισθῆναι. Πολλαὶ δὲ θλίψεις κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν συνέβησαν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐδενὸς ἐφροντίσαμεν. Ὅτε δὲ ἤλθομεν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῶν Καππαδόκων καὶ ἐν τῇ Ταυροκιλικίᾳ, χοροί, χοροὶ ἡμῖν ὑπήντων πατέρων, ἁγίων ἀνδρῶν, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ πλήθη μοναζόντων καὶ παρθένων τὰς ἀθανάτους πηγὰς τῶν δακρύων ἐκχέοντες. Καὶ ἔκλαιον θεωροῦντες ἡμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἐξορίᾳ ἀπερχομένους καὶ ἔλεγον πρὸς ἑαυτούς· συνέφερεν, ἵνα ὁ ἥλιος συνέστειλε τὰς ἀκτῖνας αὑτοῦ ἢ ἵνα τὸ στόμα Ἰωάννου ἐσιώπησε. Ταῦτά με ἐθορύβησε καὶ ἔθλιψεν, ἐπειδὴ ἔβλεπον πάντας κλαίοντας περὶ ἐμοῦ. Ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων πάντων, ὅσα ἂν συνέβη μοι, φροντίδα οὐκ ἐποίησα. Πάνυ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐδεξιώσατο ὁ ἐπίσκοπος τῆς πόλεως ταύτης καὶ πολλὴν ἀγάπην ἔδειξεν εἰς ἡμᾶς, ὥστε, εἰ δυνατόν, καὶ τὸν θρόνον αὑτοῦ παρεχώρησεν ἡμῖν, εἰ μὴ τὸν ὅρον ἐφυλάττομεν. ∆έομαι καὶ ἀντιβολῶ καὶ τῶν γονάτων ἅπτομαι τῶν σῶν. Ἀπόρριψον τὸ πένθος τῆς ἀθυμίας σου καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν μνείαν ἔχε πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ ἀντιγράψαι ἡμῖν παρακλήθητι.

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς Κυριακὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐν ἐξορίᾳ ὄντα καὶ αὐτὸν

Φέρε δὴ ἀπαντλήσω σου τῆς ἀθυμίας τὸ ἕλκος καὶ διασκεδάσω σου τοὺς λογισμοὺς τοὺς τὸ νέφος τοῦτο συνιστῶντας. Τί γάρ ἐστιν ὃ λυπεῖ καὶ ἀδημονεῖς; ∆ιότι χαλεπὸς ὁ χειμὼν καὶ δεινὸν τὸ ναυάγιον τὸ τὰς ἐκκλησίας καταλαβόν; Τοῦτο οἶδα κἀγώ. Ἀλλ', εἰ βούλει, εἰκόνα ἀναπλάττω σοι τῶν γινομένων, ὥστε σαφεστέραν σοι ποιῆσαι τὴν τραγῳδίαν. Θάλατταν ὁρῶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς κάτωθεν ἀναμοχλευομένην τῆς ἀβύσσου, πλωτῆρας τοῖς ὕδασι νεκροὺς ἐπιπλέοντας, ἑτέρους ὑποβρυχίους γενομένους, τὰς σανίδας τῶν πλοίων διαλυομένας, τὰ ἱστία διαρρηγνύμενα, τοὺς ἱστοὺς διακλωμένους, τὰς κώπας τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ναυτῶν ἀποπτάσας· ἀντὶ τῶν οἰάκων ἐπὶ τῶν στρωμάτων καθημένους, τὰς χεῖρας τοῖς γόνασι περιπλέκοντας καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἀμηχανίαν τῶν γινομένων κωκύοντας, θρηνοῦντας, ὀλολύζοντας, ὀλοφυρομένους· οὐκ οὐρανόν, οὐ πέλαγος φαινόμενον, ἀλλὰ σκότος πάντα βαθὺ καὶ ἀφεγγὲς καὶ ζοφῶδες καὶ οὐδὲ τοὺς πλησίον ἐπιτρέποντα βλέπειν καὶ πολὺν τὸν πάταγον τῶν κυμάτων καὶ θηρία θαλάττια πάντοθεν τοῖς πλέουσιν ἐπιτιθέμενα. Μᾶλλον δὲ μέχρι τίνος διώκομεν ἀκίχητα; Οἵαν γὰρ ζητήσεις τῶν παρόντων κακῶν εἰκόνα ἡττώμενος ὁ λόγος ἀναχωρεῖ. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ ταῦτα εἰδὼς οὐκ ἀπογιγνώσκω τῆς χρηστοτέρας ἐλπίδος, τὸν κυβερνήτην τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς ἐννοῶν, ὃς οὐ τέχνῃ περιγίνεται τοῦ χειμῶνος, ἀλλὰ νεύματι λύει τὴν ζάλην.

Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἐκ προοιμίων μηδὲ εὐθέως, ἔθος αὐτῷ τοιοῦτον μὴ ἐν ἀρχῇ τὰ δεινὰ καταλύειν, ἀλλ', ὅταν αὐξηθῇ καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος ἔλθῃ καὶ παρὰ τῶν πλειόνων ἀπογνωσθῇ, τότε θαυματουργεῖ καὶ παραδοξοποιεῖ τήν τε οἰκείαν ἐνδεικνύμενος